Hi
I am a novice knitter and I am confused on neck shaping for an open front sweater I am knitting.
I am un sure how to do this bind off (see pattern below).
I am knitting a simple Stockinette Stitch.

1) Do I bind off knit side (3 sts) then purl back and bind off next knit row or do I skip that next knit row?

2) Is every other row considered the knit side? or do you count the purl side too?

3) How do I do reverse shaping....does that mean I start binding with a purl stitch?

DIRECTIONS

Neck shaping

Left front
Cast on 32 sts....ribbing 3” and then body...Stockinette until 17”

At front edge, bind off 3 sts once, then 4 sts every other row 3 times, then 2 sts every other row twice.
Work even on 13 sts if needed, until piece measures same as back to shoulders.
Bind off all sts.

When a pattern refers to the left front, it means the left as you would wear the sweater. The bind off will be at the beginning of the row. For the left front you’re binding off on the purl side in stockinette st. Bind off 4sts on the purl row, knit the next row, bind off 4sts on the purl row, knit a row, bind off 4sts on the purl row and so on. All your bind offs are on the purl row which is at the beginning of the neck edge. For the right side of the sweater the shaping will be in the same sequence but all the bind offs will be at the beginning on knit rows.

Thanks...I now understand the reverse shaping.
But...
Is this right ?? If the pattern says "once then every other row" it means bind off on purl row, knit next row, bind off on purl row, knit next row, bind off on purl row...etc.....Is that considered every other row?

Thanks...I now understand the reverse shaping.
But...
Is this right ?? If the pattern says "once then every other row" it means bind off on purl row, knit next row, bind off on purl row, knit next row, bind off on purl row...etc.....Is that considered every other row?

Yes, bind off on the purl rows and the knit rows are the alternate rows in this case.